Tag: JuJu Smith-Schuster

Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster in Top 10 for merchandise sales in 2019

There are still plenty of JuJu Smith-Schuster jerseys being sold.

Even in a season where everything that could go wrong did, the popularity of the Pittsburgh Steelers was undeniable. The NFLPA put out the list of the most popular players in the league in terms of merchandise sales for 2019 and one Steeler made the Top 10.

Despite missing four games in 2019, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and his seemingly endless popularity helped him land at No. 10 on the list as the highest-ranking Steeler.

Here’s what the NFLPA says determines the rankings.

The NFLPA Top Player Sales list is the only verified ranking of all officially licensed, NFL player-identified merchandise sold from online and traditional retail outlets as reported by more than 75 NFLPA licensees, such as Fanatics, Outerstuff, Nike, Fathead, FOCO, Funko, Wincraft, and more. NFLPA-licensed product categories include video games; men’s, women’s and youth game jerseys; T-shirts and hoodies; backpacks; wall decals; pennants; collectible figurines; matted and framed photos; bobbleheads; plush; drinkware; and pet products, among others. NFLPA licensees have generated record retail sales in each of the last five years, exceeding $1.6 billion during the 2018 season.

Check out the full Top 15 below.

1.   Patrick Mahomes II, QB, Kansas City

2.   Tom Brady, QB, New England

3.   Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas

4.   Baker Mayfield, QB, Cleveland

5.   Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Cleveland

6.   Khalil Mack, LB, Chicago

7.   Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay

8.   Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas

9.   Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

10. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh

11. Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans

12. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore

13. Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia

14. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle

15. Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco

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Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster pairs with Bugha for Fortnite Twitch Streamer Bowl

Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster pairs with Bugha for Fortnite Twitch Streamer Bowl

On January 30, just ahead of the Super Bowl, Twitch and the NFL are coming together for the Fortnite Twitch Streamer Bowl. It’s a charity duos tournament where the teams were selected by draft. The best Fortnite Twitch streamers battled it out to determine draft order and picked their NFL player to join them in the tournament.

The No. 2 overall pick went to Kyle Giersdorf, AKA Bugha, who is easily one of the best Fortnite players in the world. He recently won $3 million at the Fortnite World Cup when he was just 16 years old.

Being a Pennsylvania kid from Pottsgrove, Bugha stayed close to home with his draft pick and went with Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Smith-Schuster isn’t new to the Fortnite tournament scene and even spent some time two offseasons ago with Faze Clan, one of the biggest gaming teams in the world.

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Former Steelers WR has harsh words for Antonio Brown

Nate Washington won’t let Brown’s disrespect stand.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown crossed a line this week on Twitter when he decided to call out and insult JuJu Smith-Schuster. For a guy who can’t find a job, it was pretty bold of him to call out Smith-Schuster for a down season where he had a revolving door of quarterbacks. Needless to say, Brown took plenty of heat for this.

The heat included former Steelers wide receiver Nate Washington who took to Twitter to roast Brown on multiple levels for his disrespectful comments about the young wide receiver.

We particularly liked “I bet the jugs machine don’t even wanna throw to that boy!”

As a point of reference, when Brown and Smith-Schuster were both 23 their difference in stats is quite staggering. Brown had 85 receptions and Smith-Schuster has 211.

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Antonio Brown disrespects JuJu Smith-Schuster on Twitter

Antonio Brown takes a shot at JuJu Smith-Schuster on social media.

There is literally no limit to how far Antonio Brown will go when it comes to holding a grudge. The disgruntled former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver has been active on social media in all the worst ways in recent weeks. And on Sunday night he decided to take a shot at wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster for his lack of production this season.

Brown called the Steelers wideout “Boo Boo Shoester” and a “bum” after finishing with 42 receptions for 552 receiving yards. Keep in mind, Smith-Schuster has been nothing but respectful of Brown publicly.

It’s kind of sad to see how far a talent like Brown has fallen. He’s practically untouchable by the entire league and honestly might never play again. It’s a tragic waste of so much football talent but no matter how far he’s fallen, he had no business taking a shot at Smith-Schuster for his down season.

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Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster on his key drop: ‘The game’s on me’

JuJu Smith-Schuster was only targeted three times and he had two drops.

It came down to the wire and despite a comedy of errors by the Pittsburgh Steelers, they found themselves in a position to win late in the game. But a pass by quarterback Devlin Hodges flew through the hands of wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to stall out the drive. This was a catch, if Smith-Schuster hauls it in, likely scores to give the Steelers an opportunity to win it with the ensuing extra point.

After the game, Smith-Schuster was clearly distraught by how the game ended. “I make that catch, I go into the end zone, we score, that’s it,” Smith-Schuster said. “At the end of the day, the game’s on me, that’s my fault, sorry everybody.”

The contrition by Smith-Schuster was genuine but you can bet it would shield him from waves of criticism from fans and the media. The reality is while Smith-Schuster’s drop was huge, it really never should have come down to that final play.

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Jets vs. Steelers: Le’Veon Bell’s chance at revenge, Steelers defensive ascension among things to know

The Jets will need their star running back to ball out against one of the league’s best defenses in the Steelers.

While the Jets have nothing to play for except pride on Sunday, they still have a chance to put Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes on the self.

Jets running back Le’Veon Bell and offensive assistant Hines Ward will be squaring off against their former team for the first time. Bell has insisted that this is just another game, but Ward wants a Gatorade shower if the Jets are able to pull off the upset.

A win over the Steelers wouldn’t be the most surprising thing New York has pulled off this season. However, besides the injuries that continue to afflict Gang Green, the offensive ineptitude has plagued one of the league’s worst units. It might be more of the same against one of the league’s best defensive units on Sunday.

Here are four things you need to know for the Jets’ Week 16 clash with Pittsburgh.

Le’Veon Bell faces his former team

(Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images)

Le’Veon Bell will play his first career game against his former team on Sunday.

While Bell expects a 50/50 reception mixed with cheers and jeers, the Jets running back claims he won’t have any added motivation facing the Steelers.

“Each and every game I play I try to give it my all. I guess if I can find an extra squeeze in there, I’m going to try,” Bell said Friday. “It is what it is with me. I always try to go out there and give my best.”

Whether Bell believes that or not, he is having his worst statistical season to date. He has rushed for just 676 yards on 204 carries with three rushing touchdowns. He also has 57 catches for 404 yards and a score.

The Jets are going to need Bell to run rampant on Sunday to give themselves a fighting chance. A revenge game might not be in the cards for Bell, but he’ll certainly be looking to eclipse the season-best 87-yard rushing performance that he set last week.

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JuJu Smith-Schuster sounds like a guy planning to play on Sunday

It is looking good for JuJu Smith-Schuster to play on Sunday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers listed no players on their weekly injury report headed into their Week 16 game with the New York Jets. However, when wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster spoke to the media after practice on Friday and despite having practiced fully, would still be a game-time decision to play.

But on Saturday night, Smith-Schuster made the Instagram post above which really gives the impression Smith-Schuster is playing. And his return cannot come at a better time. The offense is in a funk and unable to score points. Smith-Schuster is the team’s best receiver and his a significant impact on how defenses attempt to defend the Steelers.

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Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster to be a game-time decision vs Jets

JuJu Smith-Schuster isn’t sure if he will play this weekend.

It looks as if we won’t know if the Pittsburgh Steelers will have wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster this week against the New York Jets. Smith-Schuster was a full participant on Friday but when he spoke to reporters he said he would be a game-time decision.

Smith-Schuster has been fighting a knee injury that’s kept him out of action for the last month. On the season, Smith-Schuster has 38 receptions for 524 receiving yards. Despite his lack of production, his return can only benefit the team this week. Quarterback Devlin Hodges is looking for a bounceback after his four-interception game and having Smith-Schuster out there should help with his confidence.

If Smith-Schuster can’t go again this week it will be up to James Washington and Diontae Johnson to do all the heavy lifting in the passing game. Personally, I wouldn’t count on Smith-Schuster playing this week if the holdup is pain management. It would be tough for him to go if he is concerned with pain in his cuts.

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Limiting Steelers’ running game among 4 keys to Jets defense

The potential return of Jamal Adams and Quinnen Williams should help the Jets defense stop the Steelers running game.

After getting shellacked by the Ravens last week, the Jets have had ample time to prepare for a Steelers squad whose playoff hopes are on life support.

New York is getting healthy on defense and could see the return of at least three key contributors this weekend. The game carries little meaning in the grand scheme of things, but a solid showing against Pittsburgh could help bolster the team’s mentality heading into the offseason as it gears up for next season.

The Steelers are a strange team. Their offense should be one of the best in the league with solid weapons in the receiving and running game, but they’ve struggled at times throughout the season due in large part to a rash of injuries. Nevertheless, they sit at 8-6 with a shot at the playoffs. They’re starting undrafted free agent rookie Devlin Hodges once again, who has struggled at times but remains 3-1 as a starter.

This game won’t define the Jets’ season, but it could define the Steelers if New York can hold off Pittsburgh. With that being said, here are four keys to the Jets defense in Week 16.

Sack the duck

Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

The Steelers’ offense has been hit-or-miss with Devlin Hodges under center, but the Bills showed everyone this past week that pressuring Hodges can limit his ability to run the offense.

The Bills sacked Hodges four times last week and the young Steelers quarterback finished with four turnovers, and a 43.9 quarterback rating in a costly 17-10 loss.

The Jets haven’t been great at getting to the quarterback lately and could struggle against a Steelers offensive line that has allowed the 25th-most sacks in the league this season. Sacks will be hard to come by, but just pressuring Hodges might be enough to slow down Pittsburgh’s offense.

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Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster non-committal about his return

It isn’t clear if JuJu Smith-Schuster is coming back this week.

If the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to throw the football all over the field like they did on Sunday, they need the best options possible out in the route. But with two games to play and the playoffs on the line, it isn’t clear if or when Pittsburgh will get wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster back in the lineup. Smith-Schuster has been sidelined with a knee injury.

Smith-Schuster spoke to the media on Monday and he gave nothing to indicate he’s close to ready to play. He did some running before Sunday’s game but you could hear Smith-Schuster measure his words carefully so as not to give a false impression he’s close to being healthy enough to play.

Despite Smith-Schuster’s struggles this season he is still far and away the team’s best weapon in the passing game. Plus the coverage he draws helps the rest of the depth chart even if the ball isn’t going to Smith-Schuster. But for now it’s unclear if the Steelers will get the star receiver back against the Jets this week or not.

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